


The Promise of Tomorrow

by thestarkswillendure



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Minor Ana Amari/Reinhardt Wilhelm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25534429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarkswillendure/pseuds/thestarkswillendure
Summary: She doesn’t know whose eyes she meets, everyone is too closely packed together but suddenly, Hana’s world fractures. One second, the world is black and white, as its always been. Then she blinks and her vision becomes awash with vivid technicolor.For the first time in her life, she can see blue skies, the golden hue of the sun as it begins to set on the horizon. Looking out onto the square of Watchpoint Gibraltar, the crowd has transformed before her very eyes, a sea of color in motion.
Relationships: Brigitte Lindholm/Hana "D.Va" Song
Comments: 9
Kudos: 78
Collections: MekaMechanic Week 2020 Collection





	The Promise of Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 5 of the 2020 MekaMechanic Week, the theme was 'Soulmates'. 
> 
> I tried to approach the concept in a way that felt realistic and allowed me to flesh the characters out, really get a feel for them since I don't have much experience writing them yet. Depending on the reception, I might write a second part to this where I actually explore their friendship + potential romance but we'll see. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy! Lemme know what you think.

For Hana, the concept of soulmates had always been more abstract than reality. 

As a child, she’d been fascinated by the idea that someday she would meet someone and her entire world would become a kaleidoscope of colors. That the shades of gray she’d known for so long would bleed away and leave her with verdant greens, rich red and blues, soft buttery yellow and all those other colors she’d heard about. 

But as she’d gotten older, her name rising through the ranks of the gaming community, her country ravaged by attacks from the Gwishin, she’d largely forgotten about it. After all, the number of people who actually met their soulmate was statistically low. Too many had died in the Omnic Crisis, the world plunged into chaos. 

So for years, Hana was content to live in a world of black and white, content to live life without a soulmate.

That is, until the day her world burst into color.

It happens in quite possibly the worst scenario she could have ever imagined.

She’s on stage, fidgeting as she watches Captain Myung wrap up her speech. From the corner of her eye, she could see the crowd below, watching them. She’d long grown accustomed to being in the public eye but this… this was different. 

Hana was to become an ambassador for her country within the ranks of the newly reformed Overwatch and she didn’t know how she felt about it still. On one hand, the Gwishin had been severely weakened by the blow she’d dealt it during its last attack. It had yet to resurface and while she knew her teammates on the MEKA squad were more than capable of holding down the fort in her absence, the thought of leaving her country, her home, made her feel uneasy. 

But since its return, Overwatch had done a great deal to turn the tide of the war, to stave off the encroaching invasion in key cities around the world. If Hana could help them in any way, help save lives… how could she possibly refuse?

With this thought in mind, she lifts her chin and looks out onto the crowd, letting her eyes wander aimlessly. 

She doesn’t know whose eyes she meets, everyone is too closely packed together but suddenly, Hana’s world  _ fractures _ . One second, the world is black and white, as its always been. Then she blinks and her vision becomes awash with vivid technicolor. 

For the first time in her life, she can see blue skies, the golden hue of the sun as it begins to set on the horizon. Looking out onto the square of Watchpoint Gibraltar, the crowd has transformed before her very eyes, a sea of color in motion. 

_ There’s so many,  _ she thinks.  _ Too many.  _

Feeling overwhelmed, she looks away, struggling to breathe. When she glances over to the podium, she realizes Captain Myung has stepped down. Hana marvels at the dark blue of her suit, the gold of her pins, even the black in her hair seems different from the black Hana could see before. 

It hits her at once, the significance of this moment. Her  _ soulmate _ was in that crowd. She scans the crowd again, looking for anyone who looks as shell shocked as she feels. But there’s too many people staring back at her, too many people awed by the presence of D.va. 

Hana feels a brief spark of resentment for her alter ego. Would her soulmate be one of those people who cared more about her reputation, her fame, than actually getting to know Hana, the person beneath the persona? 

Would they run to the media immediately, to tell the world that their soulmate was the infamous D.va? 

After her rise to fame, Hana had encountered far too many people who were interested in her solely for the benefits they would gain as a result of their association. It’s why she preferred to stay out of the limelight, to limit her close circle to her squadmates and Dae-hyun. She’d been burned once before, she didn’t care to repeat the experience.

She’s almost relieved when no one comes up to her after the ceremony but that only leaves her with more questions. Was it possible that Hana alone had gained the ability to see colors while her soulmate’s world remained black and white? Was it possible that they were Hana’s soulmate but Hana wasn’t theirs?

It haunts her for the rest of the day, the mystery of who her soulmate is. It distracts her as she’s given a tour of the Watchpoint, every person they pass a possible contender. Hana tries to memorize the faces she sees, the color of their eyes, their hair, their skin, but her mind feels over-saturated with color.

By the time Hana settles into her new room that night, she’s exhausted, her body sinking into the soft mattress. It doesn’t take long before she’s out like a light, dreaming in color for the first time in her life. 

* * *

Brigitte’s fists assaulted the punching bag at rapidfire pace, her arms groaning in protest from the strain. She’d been at the gym for hours now. Longer than she usually stayed for but she had a lot on her mind today.

Brigitte’s always known that when it came to soulmates, her family was luckier than most. After all, her parents were soulmates and Reinhardt had met his soulmate, Ana, in Overwatch. 

Despite the pattern however, Brigitte had never quite believed it would happen for her. She reasoned that if meeting your soulmate was truly such a momentous occasion then it probably only happened for remarkable people. 

Brigitte wasn’t remarkable. Her father, Reinhardt, they were remarkable. Heroes in their own right. 

It never bothered her, the thought of not having a soulmate. She had enough blessings in her life: a big and loving family, good friends, a purpose in life.

If anything, having a soulmate would change things and Brigitte wasn’t sure she wanted things to change, at least not anymore than they’d already changed. 

She’d had her reservations about joining Overwatch, she still did but so far, things had been good. Though they were still running illegally, public opinion had been overwhelmingly positive after word had gotten out about the fight in Paris. 

They were gaining new recruits every day, gathering resources. They’d even managed to make some key alliances like the one with MEKA. 

Which brought Brigitte back to her current dilemma. 

Hana Song. Her soulmate was Hana _ freaking _ Song.

World-renowned gamer, special forces pilot, media darling and hero of Busan. 

She’d been standing in the crowd yesterday, listening to Captain Myung’s speech on the shared goals of MEKA and Overwatch, what she (and by extension, the South Korean government) hoped would come of this partnership, when it happened. 

Off to the right of the stage, she could see Hana, dressed in her signature pilot suit. By chance, Brigitte had caught her eye as Hana lifted her chin and surveyed the crowd.

That’s when the colors had bled in. 

As a kid, she’d asked her parents to describe colors to her all the time. The descriptions always left her feeling giddy. To think there was so much variety out in the world!

Seeing them for herself though, she found that their descriptions paled in comparison to reality. They failed to capture the way the world seemed infinitely brighter, fuller,  _ more.  _

When she glanced back at the stage, eyes seeking the pink, white and blue of Hana’s suit, she could tell from the dazed expression on Hana’s face that she could see them too. The colors.

But if Hana knew whose eyes she’d met, that Brigitte was her soulmate, she hadn’t said anything. Not that Brigitte had given her the chance, having fled the square as soon as the ceremony finished. 

She’d spent the rest of the night hidden away in her room, mulling over her options. 

“Brigitte?” 

A familiar voice pulls hers back to the present. Brigitte blinks and glances back at the door. 

Reinhardt stood in the doorway. Brigitte stifles a gasp when she catches sight of his face, the white of his beard, the red flush of his cheeks. She hadn’t seen him since before the ceremony yesterday. Her heart aches with longing to see the colorful faces of the rest of her family. 

“How long have you been here? You skipped breakfast this morning and I didn’t see you at dinner last night,” he remarked, voice soft with concern. 

She shakes her head, stripping off her gloves and grabbing her towel from the bench behind her. 

“I’m fine. I just wasn’t hungry,” she mumbles, grateful for the cover the towel provides as she wipes the sweat off her face. Reinhardt laughs, a sound so familiar it sets her nerves at ease. 

“If you’re going to lie, you should at least put some effort into it,” he says. “Come, tell me what’s wrong.”

She sighed and took a seat on the bench. He settles beside her, waiting. The words seem to stick to the roof of her mouth, crowding up as she struggles to verbalize them. To accept them.

_ My soulmate is Hana Song, I caught her eye yesterday. I can see colors now.  _

She can’t say it. Instead, what she says is: “You were right. The sunsets on Gibraltar are beautiful, it’s a shame so many won’t ever get to see them in color.”

She peeks at Reinhardt’s face, watching as he processes her words. The realization is sudden and swift as is the hug she’s crushed into. His enthusiasm is contagious, Brigitte can’t help but laugh as he shouts, a mix of German and English. 

He sets her back on her feet, steadying her, his one good eye bright with joy. “This is wonderful news, Brigitte! Have you told your parents?”

Brigitte winced. “I haven’t told mamma and pappa yet. But Reinhardt, you can’t tell them. Promise me.”

He frowns, hands dropping from her shoulder. “But why, little one? This is good news.” 

She can’t help but question that. “Is it?”

She regrets it immediately once she sees the concern on Reinhardt’s face. Sighing, she tells him everything. How she’d felt the world shift underneath her, her vision blur with color. The breathlessness she’d felt at seeing colors for the very first time. The panic when she realized what it all meant, who her soulmate was. 

She falls silent afterwards, feeling lighter. Reinhardt’s face is inscrutable when she glances at him.

“Do you think she’ll be disappointed?”

He sighs. “Why do you think she would be disappointed?”

She shrugs, rubbing her arm. Reinhardt’s hand touched her shoulder gently. 

“Brigitte, all relationships take effort. Even that of soulmates’. Many people believe that having a soulmate, it makes things easier but that is not true. When I met my Ana, it was difficult…” 

“Fareeha was still young, the Omnic Crisis was underway and we were both under pressure to ensure that the organization and the strike team succeeded. It was many, many years before we allowed ourselves to explore a relationship. But I would not trade a single moment of her friendship throughout those years for anything in the world.”

“What relationship you have with Hana, that is between you and Hana to choose. But you have to tell her,” he finished, voice low and rough with emotion.

Brigitte was stunned. From the way Reinhardt talked about Ana and those early years, she’d always been under the impression that they’d been together since the beginning of Overwatch. Even more shocking was how accurately Reinhardt’s words seemed to pinpoint the root of her fears, nipping them at the bud. 

_ What we have is ours to choose.  _

From the moment she’d realized she had a soulmate, Brigitte had been gripped with the irrational fear that she needed to live up to the standard set forth by her parents, by her godfather. That her relationship with her soulmate needed to be as magical as she’d made theirs out to be. 

But perhaps she’d been looking at things through rose-tinted lenses. Perhaps she’d been a bit too quick to let her doubts and fears take hold in her moment of panic. 

Brigitte narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her godfather suspiciously. Teasing, she asked, “When did you get so wise?”

Reinhardt laughed. Setting her shoulders, she smiled. 

She knew what she had to do. 

* * *

Hana circled her mech, admiring the paint job. 

What she’d first perceived as a mix of varying shades of gray was actually bubblegum pink, lined with metallic silver. She traced over the delicate green of the MEKA logo. 

Around her, the docking bay was empty, only a few of the workstations in use. The sheer size of the base was testament to what Overwatch had once been but now, despite the steady increase in personnel and resources, it felt empty. A hallowed husk. A mere shadow of its former glory.

Behind her, someone stumbled in through the doorway. 

Hana turned. A tall girl with long red hair stood in the doorway, her arms full of what seemed to be armor. She didn’t seem to notice Hana at first as she trudged towards one of the occupied stations. The armor fell to a clatter atop the workstation. 

Hana watched her sort things out quietly, eyes raking over the girl’s red overalls, the black muscle shirt ripped at the sleeves, defined muscles on display. As she worked, the girl hummed. Hana shuffled loudly, making her presence known. 

She whirled, hazel eyes locking onto Hana’s. For the briefest of moments, the colors around her intensified. The world shuddered to a stop and Hana felt her breath catch as the pieces fell into place. 

“It’s you,” Hana breathed.

With the words now hanging between them, Hana felt the world begin to spin again, the air come rushing back to her lungs. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. I thought the hanger was empty,” she said, looking wary when Hana didn’t immediately respond. “I’m Brigitte.”

“Hana,” she replied then paused. “But you already knew that, didn’t you… You were in the crowd.”

Brigitte nodded, looking sheepish. “I’ve been looking for you actually. Figure I owed you an explanation.”

Hana isn’t sure who she expected her soulmate to be but as she follows Brigitte out of the docking bay and down to a spot near the square overlooking the ocean, she can’t help but feel charmed by the other girl. Even more so, when they settle down and Brigitte begins to talk. 

As she talks, Hana watches her face. In the light of day, Brigitte’s face seemed to glow, freckles bright against her pale skin. She feels almost mesmerized by her hazel eyes, Hana had never seen anything like them. 

When she finishes, Hana isn’t quite sure how to respond. The fears and doubts Brigitte had expressed, they were the very fears Hana had been mulling over in recent days; an ironic kinship, to be sure but it leaves Hana feeling a bit more secure in this connection between them. 

_ What we have is ours to choose,  _ Brigitte had said. 

Hana liked that and she liked Brigitte, who seemed genuine and sincere. She was curious to learn more about her, this girl who had given her world color. 

With their respective duties and responsibilities, maybe all they could have was the promise of tomorrow. 

But it was enough, Hana thought as she sat there.

It was enough. 


End file.
